[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING SUZANNE MUBARAK, FIRST LADY OF EGYPT FOR WINNING THE STEPHEN 
            P. DUGGAN AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 5, 2002

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying 
tribute to Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of Egyptian President Hosni 
Mubarak, upon her receipt of the Stephen P. Duggan Award for 
International Understanding on Monday evening of this week. The award, 
presented by the Institute of International Education and named after 
the organization's first president, is awarded to distinguished world 
leaders in the fields of government, education, business and diplomacy 
in recognition of their commitment to educational exchange and 
appreciation of other peoples and cultures.
  Mrs. Mubarak is indeed a worthy recipient of this honor. She is a 
sociologist, having received both her bachelors and masters degrees 
from the American University in Cairo, and she has devoted her efforts 
to education at all levels. In particular, she has supported the 
television program Alam Simsim, the Egyptian production of the popular 
U.S. children's series of the Children's Television Workshop, Sesame 
Street. When this excellent Egyptian production began its third year in 
October 2001, Suzanne Mubarak participated in the opening. As in the 
American model, Alam Simsim helps to build literacy, number skills, 
education of young girls, and tolerance and understanding.
  Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Mubarak's commitment to education, particularly of 
young women, is most worthy of recognition, and I am delighted that the 
Institute of International Education (IIE) has made the decision to 
honor her for her life's work. The Institute was founded in 1919 by two 
Nobel Laureates, Elihu Root and Nicholas Murray Butler. The purpose of 
the Institute, in the words of its Chairman Henry Kaufman and its 
President Allan Goodman, is to ``replace ignorance of other cultures 
and peoples with knowledge and understanding.'' To this end, the IIE 
has fostered and supported study in the United States by foreign 
students and study abroad by American students.
  Suzanne Mubarak's commitment to education is consistent with these 
worthy goals. This was acknowledged in the citation of recognizing her 
contributions:
  ``For seven millennia, the world has learned from Egypt. And, even 
today, we are learning much for your work about the impact that early 
education has on a child's ability to cope with his or her environment. 
You have taught us that education must encompass all of life's issues 
and should enhance the ability of people to interact in society. By 
your leadership you have demonstrated the overwhelming importance of 
the education of girls. You have set a new standard for respect and 
gender equality that will make Egypt and our world safer and more 
secure for all.''
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues in the Congress to join me in 
paying tribute to Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak for her contribution to 
international understanding and in honoring her on receiving the 
Stephen P. Duggan Award.

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